Happy Again
by Hell's Ice Heaven's Fire
Summary: The natural procession of Kurt and Blaine's relationship, as seen through Burt's eyes. This was written around "Never Been Kissed".


**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Glee_ or Ellie Goulding's "Lights", but wouldn't that be awesome if I did?

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><p>XXX<p>

When Burt sees his son cooking dinner with his cell phone jammed between his ear and his shoulder he assumes he's talking to Mercedes or that Rachael about Glee because that's the only thing that could get him distracted from cooking. But, when Kurt giggles – a sound that Burt uncomfortably realizes he hasn't heard in awhile from his son – his curiosity is piqued. So, he does what any self-respecting parent denies they do: eavesdrops.

"She sounds like a sweetheart. It reminds me of this one time when I was little – well, littler – I asked my mom if she'd buy me this frilly tutu with an absolutely gaudy sparkling top and she did and I wore it around the house and sang with her while she cleaned the house." Kurt laughs at the memory, which amazes Burt because Kurt _never_ laughs at memories of his mother, he always looks sad and almost betrayed when he thinks of her. Who in the world is he talking to?

"Oh, I am never showing you pictures, never! I think I had them all burned," Burt knows he didn't, he also knows there's a picture of Kurt in that outfit in his mother's arms, both smiling and happy, buried in the bottom drawer of Kurt's dresser where all his memories of his mother are hidden way. "But, I think I can show you a picture of me in a Disney Princess outfit with grease on my nose from helping my dad in the garage – yes, I helped in a fluffy dress, I was 5 okay? All I did was hand him tools, so it was okay. His co-workers thought I was adorable." Kurt smiles and a tinge of red appears on his cheeks.

"Why, thank you kind sir. Flattery will get you everywhere." Kurt's using that sarcastic quipping voice he got from his mother and Burt realizes that his son is _flirting_ with a boy _in his kitchen_ and can't decide if he's happy or offended.

Kurt stirs something and drops something else into a frying pan and switches the phone onto his other shoulder.

"Oh, no, he didn't! Tell me you're joking!" And Kurt's laughing some more and Burt realizes that the earlier giggle was _flirtatious_ and a smile creeps up onto his face. "Oh, please tell me there's pictures of this event. I have got to see them!" Kurt's turning off burners and getting plates, so Burt knows dinner is almost ready and expects to hear Kurt say goodbye soon.

"Hey, I just finished cooking dinner; I'll call you after okay?" Burt's somewhat surprised – how long does Kurt spend talking with this boy? "I would like that." Kurt breathes out and Burt's amazed at how masculine Kurt sounds just then, because isn't breathless supposed to be a feminine thing?

Burt retreats back into the living room because he doesn't want to be caught eavesdropping on his son's conversation. Seconds after he settled back into his seat his son calls him for dinner. As he sits back into a chair around the dinner table he looks up at Kurt and sees that he's still got a goofy smile on his face. Burt's chest warms at the thought that his son is finally happy again.

"Good day?" He asks gruffly.

"Good day." Kurt says; face bright like a Christmas tree and Burt thinks that at least he'll have something interesting to tell Carole on their next date.

XXX

Burt gets back late from a date with Carole so he does what he always does when he gets back after night – he checks to ensure Kurt locked up and then goes to check to make sure that his son is okay and inside the house, if not asleep. Kurt is not asleep when he peeks down the stairs into his room in the basement – he's laying on his bed with the laptop in front of him, talking to it. Well, no not _to it_ but _through it_ to someone else.

"Ellie Goulding? Well, yeah I've heard of her and her voice is gorgeous and I love it but I've never tried to sing any of it – well, in the car and shower but not for an audience." Burt nods to himself before turning around and going back upstairs, as he's closing the door he catches Kurt singing and decides what the hell and listens – it's not like he's reading his journal or something.

_I had a way then losing it all on my own  
>I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown<br>And I'm not sleeping now the dark is too hard to beat  
>And I'm not keeping now the strength I need to push me<em>

_You show the lights that stop me turn to stone_  
><em>You shine It when I'm alone<em>  
><em>And so I tell myself that I'll be strong<em>  
><em>And dreaming when they're gone<em>

_'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home_  
><em>Calling, calling, calling home<em>  
><em>You show the lights that stop me turn to stone<em>  
><em>You shine It when I'm alone<em>

And there's something unreal about Kurt's voice then, something intimate and loving that Burt wonders if this qualifies as reading his journal, that this may be the same thing. But his son has a voice on him, a truly amazing voice that right now makes Burt want to cry for the soft, loving tone in it.

He closes the door – Kurt's obviously talking to that boy, well, singing to him – that's not something for Burt to hear. He goes to bed.

XXX

Kurt interrupts his football game by turning the T.V. off and sitting down in front of him, biting his lip. Burt arches an eyebrow at his son, having a good idea of where this conversation is going to go.

"So…I have a boyfriend." And Burt thought he was ready for this, but the second those words come out of Kurt's mouth Burt flinches. He's not ready for his baby to leave him and go out into the real world, where it's cruel and cold. "His name is Blaine. He's coming over to meet you and hang out with me, right now." Kurt bites his lips again, looking at his father for acceptance and approval, as he does so often. Burt takes a deep breath.

"Your door is not to be closed while he is in your room with you and I claim the right to shoot him with my shotgun if he hurts you." Burt says curtly and firmly. Kurt smiles at him brightly and leans over to hug him.

"Thank you, daddy." Kurt whispers and he hasn't called him "daddy" since his mom died and this must mean a lot to him, so he hugs his son back and when they pull apart he goes to get his shotgun. It's time for him to clean that damn thing and if he's still cleaning it when this boyfriend shows up….well, that's just a plus.

XXX

Burt is watching from the window as Kurt's first date – real, formal, 'pick you up at 7' date – comes to an end. Blaine walks Kurt to the door and both are talking and laughing. Blaine twirls Kurt onto the front porch, like a ballet dancer, and then pulls him close in one fluid movement, like they had done the move many, many times.

They're the same height, so when Blaine leans forward to press their lips together it doesn't look awkward. It doesn't even look like their first kiss, as Kurt melts against Blaine and the other boy pulls them even closer together. Part of him is ecstatic that Kurt is so happy and experiencing teenage-hood like any other teenager around the world, the other part wants to go grab his shotgun because they should not look so perfect together.

They pull apart and Blaine is smiling goofily at his son while he pulls out something that is long and sparkly from his pocket. It goes around Kurt's head and settles around his neck. Kurt hugs him before finally coming inside.

The necklace sparkles in the light and Kurt looks ecstatic. Burt narrows his eyes at the jewelry – it looks expensive and fancy. Burt knows teenage boys and he knows what this means – this boy is serious about his son. He's still not sure what to think about it.

XXX

When he comes home early he does not expect to see his son serenading Blaine in their living room – which, of course, is what he walks in on. Blaine blushes and looks at his feet, greeting Burt, and Kurt bites his lips, red as well.

"Well, at least you're both clothed." Is the only things he can think of to say. He doesn't understand why they're so flustered – it's not like he caught them with their pants down, thank God – but from the way they're reacting you'd think that was exactly what happened. Then he remembers listening to his son singing to Blaine over webcam and realizes he just intruded on something far more intimate then making out.

"I'll just…go watch T.V. in my room…" He says, turning to go to his bedroom.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that. We'll just, uh….go down to my room. You can stay here, we'll go." Kurt says in a rush, grabbing Blaine's hand and walking quickly towards his bedroom door.

"Close the door if you're going to be singing!" He calls to them and when he hears the door close softly he thinks nothing of it and turns the T.V. on.

XXX

The first time Burt catches them making out it was an accident and he is thankful he is the only one out of them that knows about the incident. It was also somewhat traumatizing in the way that all parents feel catching their kids doing anything remotely sexual is traumatizing.

He's fairly sure he didn't even know Blaine was there, thus the reason he just walked downstairs with no regard to knocking. And there they were, on Kurt's bed. Perhaps the most shocking part of it was that Kurt was on top, shocking because even when he was making out with that girl he was on the bottom, but not this time. This time he is straddling Blaine, kissing the other boy's neck, and rolling his hips in an obscene way that Burt refuses to think about. He was frozen, staring at the sight, brain not really comprehending what he was seeing.

"Kurt, fuck, yes." Blaine's usually so mild and polite voice was hard and something about it screamed 'sex'.

Kurt cupped Blaine's face in his hands and his voice was different – low and something Burt couldn't place. "Look at me…" Desperation, perhaps?

"Only ever you." Blaine responded, opening his eyes to look at Kurt. And that kick-started Burt's brain enough for him to get the hell out of his son's room and stop watching them make out. When he went back to the living room he toyed with the idea of going down there with his shotgun but quickly decided that he did _not_ want to know if they were…going farther.

XXX

The second time he caught them making out Kurt was supposed to be at school but instead he was in their living room underneath Blaine, who was doing a good job of devouring Kurt's neck while his hand vanished under Kurt's hundred dollar shirt. (Okay, so the shirt wasn't a hundred dollars, but it wasn't exactly cheap either.) Kurt was moaning and Burt was massively uncomfortable but his body had done that freezing thing and his brain was starting to melt because no father should have to hear their son moan like that while arching into their boyfriend, moving their legs to wrap around said boyfriend's hips.

He thought that maybe he should announce his presence and then demand Blaine get out of his house and ground Kurt for a month for skipping school to make out with his boyfriend. (I mean, who did that? Both Kurt and Blaine have cars, why make out at home?)

"Blaine…" Kurt breathed and his fingers raked down Blaine's back and Burt's feet moved of their own accord, walking him backwards and towards their front door, which he went back through as quietly as he entered.

He needed a drink.

XXX

When Burt goes down to Kurt's room – after knocking and hearing a "come in" – he sees Kurt and Blaine on the floor surrounded by memorabilia of Kurt's mom. Burt's breath catches in his throat and Blaine smiles at him, looking understanding and somewhat touched.

"Kurt's mother was really beautiful." And Burt wants to hug the boy and tell him how much it means that he didn't call her his _ex-wife_ because Katrina isn't his ex anything – she was the love of his life, the mother of his child, the most important person to Burt for years before Kurt came along and even though he has Carole…_she's not Katrina_ and he can't help but think he's _cheating_ by allowing himself to love Carole.

"Thanks kid, she was, wasn't she?" He says instead, looking at Kurt to make sure he's okay. His son smiles up at him from his place in Blaine's arms, and his eyes are watery but he looks strong and okay with this.

Blaine leaves with the only remaining picture of Kurt in that tutu with "the absolutely gaudy sparkling top" smiling with his mother and Burt realizes he'll have to share his son now, because he's pretty sure he's no longer the only important person in Kurt's life now.

And as he takes a picture of the two in tuxedos, getting ready to go to the McKinley prom, he finds that he's okay with that.


End file.
